Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, July 6-Monday, July 12, 2021: Bayfest, Pride, Swami Play Record, The White Buffalo and More!!

Ficus at Fiesta Island (Taken 5.27.21)

I guess with the holiday I totally forgot to do listings. I'm gonna leave Tuesday on here just because it helps me next week when I have to do them again to see who has been open. This weekend kicks off some of the Pride stuff in San Diego and also Bayfest is going down at Waterfront Park. Casbah should be packed on Saturday, too, so if you're planning on going, you should arrive early. Belly Up is also jumping back in and has several sold out events this week. I think I'm gonna keep on keeping it low key around here but have fun and be safe out there. Listings after the jump. 

CoViD-19: Delta Is Bad. Get Ready To Hear More About Lambda | Doom & Gloom Rabbit Hole | About Face On Masking? |

Sea Otter at Sea World (Taken 6.28.21)

Last night I was up late and started reading about the Lambda COVID variant, which is prevalent in Peru and South America and it's kinda the same story as all variants of interest so far: not enough study has been done, not enough sequencing is happening, we think the vaccines we have work even if their protection is less than before but you don't want to be unvaccinated and get this variant because you could still get very sick and spread it to everyone around you with more fleeting contact.  

I had even more links that I wanted to share today but it was all a little too much. I was down a twitter rabbithole and there were stories about the COVID outbreak at a Texas church camp that then linked to other stories of a summer camp outbreak in Illinois which somehow got me reading about the fire in Lytton BC and that lead to a story about how the extreme heat dome on Canada may have 'cooked' billions of marine animals like clams and mollusks. Then there's the storm off Florida, the continued search in the building collapse, and an outbreak of CWD in deer farms in Texas and I didn't even know deer farms were a thing but they are, and people raise them, sell them, then people put them on their land so they can be hunted and all I could think was passing HUNDREDS of dead deer the last time I drove to Austin and why you would raise an out of control population that is suffering from their own disease while also spreading human disease like Lyme through ticks, which are also out of control because of climate change? 

I wasn't feeling super great today and in retrospect maybe all that reading killed my psyche, but I'm feeling much better now after a cold air-conditioned nap. I also realized I totally forgot to do listings for the week, so I'll get around to those at some point, too. I know it's really hard with peer pressure and whatnot, but if you've listened to any experts lately, there's a lot of backtracking on masking even if you're vaccinated, so I'd say you should assess your risk, but don't be afraid or embarrassed to keep masking up. I don't know what my first indoor show will be because I'm just not there yet, but without vaccination verification it may still be awhile for me. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Vaccination Uptake Low Among Stupids | Delta Dominant In CA |

Jacaranda and Magnolia in a rare quiet moment on the new couch. 

Unsurprisingly there is very little data reporting today, which I guess is expected but it also feels like public health officials are sending the message that the pandemic is over. It feels like that information is based off the fact that anybody can access a vaccine who wants one so at this point if you haven't vaxxed up, your future illness is on you? It still feels premature to me.

We were at Sea World earlier tonight and decided to watch the new Cirque show and thought we were sitting far away from people, but then got crowded in by all the late arrivals and I felt so claustrophobic, even being outside. The cirque shows used to be so good, but this one felt a little like watching America's Got Talent and while the two motorcycles in a globe trick, a contortionist, rollerskate dancers, and tightrope acrobatics are cool for kids, I wouldn't really recommend the show, unless you really want to see what 1984 felt like and sit surrounded by unmasked people for almost 45 minutes.

I keep seeing all these stories about the massive amounts of people who traveled this weekend and all I can really say is thanks for coming, now go home. Kidding but not kidding. Did you see how much trash cleanup there was at our beaches? People can be so disgusting. It always shocks me at Sea World and the Zoo, too. Both lots have an abundance of trash and recycle bins around their lots and people still think the ground is the perfect place to clean out their cars of 6 months of fast food wrappers. 

My sister is one of those who traveled and is in Kauai right now and will be back tomorrow and assures me that she will get tested on Wednesday and will also finally get Johanna vaccinated, though she told me their Kaiser doctor was recommending waiting until there's more data on myocarditis which seriously pissed me off when she told me. I told her the risk for myocarditis after COVID and long COVID is way more risky than the vaccine and then sent her the link I've included below (The CDC says the rate of myocarditis is 12.6/1,000,000.) Not vaccinating right now is super dumb, and we have to be especially careful around my dad who has tons of chronic illnesses and was only able to get the single dose J&J shot. I will press her to follow through. As should you if you still have family who have yet to get the shots. 

Stay safe out there. 

Independence Day: Protect Your Pets | CoViD-19: Two Americas, Two Levels Of Risk | Wired Offers Photo Tricks For Fireworks |

 

Balboa Park View From San Diego Zoo Skyfari (Taken 6.7.21)

I was trying to remember if I did anything for 4th of July last year and all I really remember was watching my tweaker neighbors setting off fireworks in the alley, so it must've been the year before when I went to the Zoo by myself while Darren was working and maybe Nova was in St Louis and just rode the Skyfari back and forth a few round trips to watch what I could see of the Big Bay Boom, which was not much. I hope I'm not bumming out my household but I have no desire to leave the house for any reason today. It's not just the anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers, but the last year and a half only exacerbated the lack of courtesy and dangerous driving on the road, and on a holiday it's bad times a thousand. 

In fact, I woke up super early because somehow I got a call from my parents at 5am and then couldn't fall back asleep. After just talking to my mom, she has no idea how they could've called but I have 4 minutes of NBC news on my voicemail. It's okay though because I was hungry and caught up on some kitten time and some of my shows before everyone else woke up, and then Nova and I watched Skater Girl on Netflix which was a super cute movie. 

So maybe I'll go hang out in the yard or do some day drinking or watch more garbage TV, but I'll be home regretting not purchasing a thunder jacket for my dog. 

I hope everyone stays safe out there. 

CoViD-19: CA Capitol Outbreak Includes Breakthroughs | Psaki's Latest Doocy Disses | 4th of July Safety: Pets, Booze, 'Works | Busy Biden |

Southern White Rhino Mwezi at San Diego Zoo Safari Park  (Taken 7.1.21)

Today's post is just kind of a recap of the past day or two of news. I was gonna post last night but then got super tired after our big Costco adventure and had to be somewhat coherent this morning because *drumroll* our new couch was delivered today! I was so sick of shopping at furniture stores and seeing how backlogged they were. You may or may not remember that once upon a time I worked as a media buyer for Mor Furniture and at my agency before that we had Jerome's as a client, but I couldn't bring myself to buy from either, especially when you'd look online and they'd say "this item is on back order and will take 8-12 weeks for delivery." So I ordered sight unseen from an online merchandiser who I'd prefer to leave nameless because their ex-CEO is a creep. Our couch before wasn't the best, we bought it gently used from a furniture store in North Park, but the pandemic really sucked away any life it had left and we were constantly cleaning and pulling escaped down feathers from our hair, our laundry, everything.  

And anyway, today's news isn't really news at all...just more stuff about Delta, lots of action in the White House, and a bunch of warnings about staying safe this weekend because (1) fireworks are dangerous (2) drinking and driving is bad (3) this is now the busiest travel weekend since before March 2020 (4) many pockets of the country have low vaccination rates and the virus is still very dangerous to the unvaxxed. The news keeps saying "the White House missed their goal" of vaccinated but I'm kinda sick of hearing it already. At least here in San Diego, you have no excuse to not have a vaccine by now. It's been made available in numerous places with numerous incentives and no appointment, late-night, around public transit clinics throughout the past six months. It isn't the White House's fault if you're willfully choosing to listen to conspiracies, anti-vaxxers, and general misinformation that comes from people who do not wish you well. So yeah, I said what I said. 

I'm gonna get back to lounging on my new couch and will catch up tomorrow. Maybe. Both the State and County didn't update numbers today, so I suspect that will be true through Monday. Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: J&J Works | Have A Great Weekend! |

  

Peacock at San Diego Zoo (Taken 6.10.21)

It's a holiday weekend and me and Darren's big Friday night plan is a trip to Costco. I may or may not get around to reading and sharing news today, and if that's the case you'll get another post later, but for now I'm gonna shut down the laptop and hang out with my dude. At Costco. Because that's how I roll these days. 

Stay safe out there. 

Casbah Opens To Full Capacity This Saturday For NEON BEAT!!

 

CoViD-19: Delta Continues To Cause Concern | COVAX Encourages Equal Recognition of Vaccines | San Diego Launches "Come Play Outside" | Biden Tears Into Supreme Court Decision |

Dinnertime for Holly and Mwezi. Southern White Rhinos at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 7.1.21)

I am having major withdrawals, y'all. As of today, San Diego County will only be updating their trigger dashboard, their vaccination dashboard, and all the other daily charts on a weekly basis. I don't know if I'm ready for that. California still offers information by county level, so I may find a workaround, but the information is going to be less detailed and less current. Maybe they didn't like that I was posting the real percentages of the population and 12+ who were vaccinated instead of the percentage of their 75% goal. Whatever the case may be, my way of dealing with crises is to know as much as I possibly can about them and to me, yanking this information is too soon for me. 

Still, maybe it will free up some of my time to do more stuff, so I guess I'll have to get used to it. This weekend will certainly be a test to see how the country does in the coming weeks and whether we can truly look forward to mass events, big gatherings, and life back to a new-normal or if we've got to pull the reins. We'll keep being safe around here, and hope you take proper precautions for you and your friends and family around you. 

Today we double dipped with an afternoon at San Diego Zoo Safari Park and then raced to Sea World so Nova could ride rollercoasters for the last hour they were open. Safari Park was awesome because the tram is running again!! (although it would serve them to deep clean the seats that have been sitting unused for 9 months or so which felt like 100 Coca-Colas had been spilt on them and left to dry) and at the end of the day, one of the keepers was feeding rhinos Holly and Mwezi and saw me there alone with my camera so instead of their trough he fed them like 8 feet in front of me so I could get my shots. Very cool and can't wait to go back. Both parks still weren't very crowded but I imagine this weekend will totally suck at all the local attractions including the beaches, though sometimes you can time the Skyfari at the Zoo to see the Big Bay Boom. Maybe we'll try, maybe we'll just stay home and enjoy the backyard with some margaritas and hot links on the grill. That would be just fine with me. 

I know I've been posting all the White House newsroom links, but if you only read one, read Biden's statement on the Supreme Court decision. You almost never hear a president outright condemn a decision but this could definitely play in the dems favor of pushing to end the filibuster, expanding the court, or getting Breyer to retire at the end of this session. The 100day review should be coming in any day now. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Young Continue To Drive Variants | All News Is Climate News | CIF To Coronado: Your Racism Is Unacceptable; Vacates Championship Title | No La Jolla Fireworks |

  

La Jolla Sea Lions Get 4th of July Reprieve on Technicality (Taken 5.3.21)

I've mentioned before that I'm not really a fan of the Sierra Club trying to suddenly insert themselves in the debate over the sea lion rookery at La Jolla Cove because their statements want to severely limit access and it's one of San Diego's gems. I wouldn't mind rangers or docents or whatever, but the City and the California Coastal Commission, US Fish and Wildlife, and NOAA could all do much better to make sure there are new, clean, and clear signs letting people know what is allowed and what is not. Maybe they could reinstate the Seal Cam and make a new Sea Lion Cam. 

All of this is a side argument for the proposed return of the La Jolla Fireworks at Scripps Park, which would've been right between the seals and the sea lions. I'm happy to say that they won't be happening this year. The City was able to use the excuse that the permit was requested too late (it has to be more than 60 days.) That at least solved the problem for now, but it will come up again. The lawyer pushing for the fireworks said it was never a problem for 35 years, but the reality is that the rookery has only recently become designated as protected and they haven't had fireworks there for the last 4 years. He tried to compare it to Sea World which is completely absurd, because wild animals getting flushed and moms getting separated from their pups can't happen to the animals in captivity, though plenty of us would be just fine if Sea World stopped fireworks altogether, too, if that's what he was fighting for. 

And speaking of Sea World, we were sitting around the house and Nova asked if we wanted to go back. She wanted to take advantage of the pre-holiday low crowds so she could ride the roller coasters and I got to have my moments with the otters, a few dolphins, and a couple of the orcas. 

Today's news was all over the place. Cosby is out of jail which is a travesty, but CIF laid the hammer down on Coronado, with punitive measures and sanctions so deep it feels like they're punishing Coronado for their entire racist history and not just this incident. Serves them right. It's also funny hearing people crying about legislators and liberals influencing the decision and wanting to appeal or sue or whatever. CIF is like, "do whatever you want but we unilaterally get the final word on interscholastic sports in California."

There was also a lot of talk about the heat dome, about Canada's highest temperature ever, the number of people who died of heat-related circumstances, about Biden meeting with western states about wildfires, and about the continued search for bodies in Florida's Surfside condo collapse, about the lack of water, about a project to literally DRIVE salmon from rivers to the ocean because the rivers have dried and every news story had some reporter speculating IF climate change is the cause of whatever catastrophe is unfolding. Let's just go with a big yes. We need to start with the same facts, that all news can be connected to climate change, and go from there. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Masking Up | San Diego County Adopts Budget | Supreme Court Allows Eviction Moratorium To Stand | California Expands Government Travel Restrictions To Anti-LGBTQIA+ States |

  

Baby Tapir Is Losing Her Spots at San Diego Zoo (Taken 6.29.21)

One of Nova's friends from school is on this crazy intense regional soccer club team so the two of them don't often get to hang out, but her team is taking a couple weeks off so her mom asked if we'd take her with us the next time we went to the San Diego Zoo. Obviously we were happy to oblige. I think she thinks we're total dorks, but that's just fine with me. It was nice to let Nova ditch us and go off on her own. 

Meanwhile, Darren and I didn't really cover much territory. We spent a lot of time with the mandrills and tapirs, and the tigers were right up at the glass today, too. The baby okapi was out, which was the first time we've seen him since he was born in February, and then we took the kangaroo bus to Skyfari to meet up with Nova for the parade. 

Tomorrow we'll find out from the County how significant the delta variant is in San Diego and if the two-week doubling rate is true here in San Diego as it is in other parts of the country and the world, though the lag time is a little frustrating because last week when they had reported 16 cases, the onset date was only through May 27. Ideally they'll have a better and more current range. And as far as masks go, I'm gonna just go ahead and keep wearing mine. Dr. Fauci clarified today that the reason the WHO is recommending masks is because globally vaccination rates are super low, below 10% and some places worse than that. He said that the US is in a different position because we have high vaccination, but whenever I look at the groups that aren't getting vaccinated, it's the younger under 30s who aren't and guess who are the people that go to bars and concerts and San Diego Zoo and Sea World?? 

Stay safe out there. 

San Diego Music: Things To Do Tuesday, June 29-Monday, July 5, 2021

Marco Piro Is Now Booking Live Music at Kensington Club (Taken 2.8.2020)

You know how I'm constantly conflicted and do things even when I know they're bad? That's how I feel about 4th of July. I've definitely experienced the holiday in numerous ways, including the last one I can remember when Darren, Nova, and I rode the Rapid bus down to Waterfront Park to see the Big Bay Boom. I guess I'm like a lot of people...I hate fireworks in as much as they're polluting, they terrify our pets and wildlife, and they're a crazy fire hazard in a drought-ridden state, but they're also pretty and bring a certain feeling. I'd be way more down with a drone-show or something, but apparently those can be problematic, too. (Google Bolsa Chica Drone Crash) Point is, there is no point. I didn't dig too hard for events this week, but if I find more, I'll update. I don't know how I'm gonna get the twenty or so venues who haven't updated their websites to get it together, but if you're a venue...get it together or send me your new URL. Tuesday through Monday after the jump. 

CoViD-19: WHO "Wear Masks, Even If Vaccinated." LA Agrees | Breakthroughs Still Rare | San Diego Sues HealthCare Systems | Catholic Church Losing Faithful | Dollar Stores Aren't The Bargain You Thought |

Beluga Whale at Sea World (Taken 6.28.21)

Despite a heat advisory for our region, today was overcast and though a little muggy, wasn't unbearable as in many other parts of the country and the world right now. I can't stop thinking about the famines happening in Madagascar and Tigray region while we're so spoiled here in the US. The World Food Program is barely asking for $80M dollars to save lives while Bezos builds a $500M yacht. It's outrageous and obscene. But I digress. 

After Nova got out of her ensemble group this afternoon, she and Darren agreed to go back to Sea World with me. I'm obsessed. I can't help it. They sucked me in their advertising when I was a kid and I could never repel their advances. Even after Blackfish. Even through their mismanagement over the years, or their abuse of the City Charter, and let's be honest, not paying a decent lease for the acres of property where they operate. But I can't help it.

I've been thinking about why this is and can only come up with the fact that it's because without a park like Sea World, I would never otherwise experience these animals in my lifetime. I can get seasick on a rocking chair, so whale-watching or deep-sea excursions, or an Alaska cruise aren't options for me. I've snorkeled a handful of times in Hawaii and La Jolla but am not super great at that either, so finding San Diego's elusive sea turtles is probably not gonna happen for me, either. That's definitely some variation of privilege to feel like I deserve to see these animals up close, but such is this complicated life. 

So we went and I always forget this, but the weekdays before a holiday are the best days because the tourists are all waiting to blow their loads for the holidays. By Sea World standards, the park was empty. Nova got to ride Electric Eel three times and Manta twice. I sat inside the penguin encounter for 20 minutes by myself before anyone else even came in. I was in the Wild Arctic with a beluga whale coming right up to me at the glass with nobody else around for a solid 10-15 minutes. I was playing with a loggerhead who followed me before anyone else came into the Turtle aquarium. And at the end of the night while we waited for Nova to finish her rollercoaster rides, I was the only one at the orca tanks and one of them, came over and chilled by me for 15 minutes, which I thought was just coincidence until I left to the dolphins and came back and he was in the middle of the pool and when I squeaked at him, he came back over until the fireworks were over. It was magical and I'm a conflicted human in a complicated world. Just trying to find the upsides when sometimes all we can see are the downs. 

Be safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Delta Brings Back Lockdowns | Excessive Heat Warning | Rabid Bat Found At San Diego Zoo Safari Park |

A Hummingbird at San Diego Zoo (Taken 6.27.21)

Good news! Bun Bun was back in the yard today. I was a little worried but it was nice to see her cruising in the yard and just outside the fence when it was a little more overcast today, so that was a welcome sight. 

Beyond that, nothing super special to report on today. It was a low-key weekend and sleeping in and naps were involved, and then I dragged the family to the San Diego Zoo for a few hours at night. They're now open until 8pm and have the nightly "Jambo" parade so we've been kinda variating from our usual path to a much more chaotic traversal of the park, using the Kangaroo Bus and Skyfari to zip back and forth around the Zoo. Sometimes I don't know why Darren and Nova agree to come because they look so bored, but maybe it's just enough to get out of the house. 

I did watch the news today and sometimes it is just so painful. One of the local channels interviewed some dietician who was outraged at incentives for vaccines and I wanted to slap the white privilege right off her face. The free McDonalds and Taco Bell isn't about giving someone a cheeseburger or a free taco, it's about meeting people in their communities to get them vaccinated, and if she's too stupid and ignorant to see that, she shouldn't be interviewed as an expert in any way. It's so embarrassing sometimes. Then they had a "pain at the pump" story, lamenting the SURGE in California gas taxes because a new tax of 0.6 cents per gallon goes into effect on July 1. Seriously? Maybe the whole point is that we stop driving so much or estimate that SURGE in fuel prices when you're planning your 4th of July road trips that you shouldn't really be taking in the first place. I also watched Simone Biles' routines and what an incredible athlete, but seeing the unmasked crowd in that gym just made me so uneasy, especially because it was packed with moms and their young kids, kids too young to be vaccinated. 

It's really unbelievable how many parents don't give a shit about their kids masking up anymore, if they ever even did at all. It's as if the whole last 18 months didn't even happen. I guess I'm just glad we're well stocked with masks. (Old Navy is clearing them out if you still need some.) Vaccine progress locally is pretty good, but I'll feel much better when more kids are vaccinated. Currently 165,700 12-19 year olds are vaccinated, and by the best estimates I could find, there are almost 800,000 people in that age group, so there is a long, long way to go. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: California R-eff Rising | Delta & Gamma Causing Worldwide Surges Among Unvaccinated | Right Wingers Ravaging Democracy |

  

Bun Bun is Missing.

I posted a pic of Bun Bun because we haven't seen her in a few days. I don't really know how she's survived all this time, to be honest, but with everything so dry, I hope she's just chilling under the studio. 

Today was a wasted day for me. Darren and I were up super late last night in the Speakeasy and then today I decided to use some strawberries to make milkshakes and then we had chili dogs, and how old do I think I am that I thought my body could handle eating like I'm at the San Diego County Fair? I swear sometimes I'm like those old pepto ads. 

Today there continues to be more debate about "fleeting contact" and the increased transmission of the Delta variant and it makes me crazy that the headlines are about the WHO dismissing the claim when in actuality, they're saying it's possible there's just not enough evidence yet. Didn't we learn over the past year that we should err on the side of caution? They should still be urging people to mask up, and the CDC should be doing a much better job of their messaging to the unvaccinated, specifically targeting children and their parents to model safe behavior. I want Nova to go to school full-time in person this fall, but San Diego's tween vaccination rate needs to come way up to relieve my anxiety about it. Truth be told, I'm gonna kick my sister's ass if she doesn't get my niece vaccinated soon. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Mass Vax Sites To Close; Other Options For Shots Abound | Chauvin Sentenced | Biden Makes Pride Moves | Thank You, EDD |

Jacaranda Doesn't Like Ficus Sneaking Up On Him (Taken 6.24.21)

I know it's really easy to bash the government and I know some people had a really hard time getting benefits over the course of the past year and a half, whether for EDD, Calfresh, grants, rent relief, or whatever, but I feel like it should be noted when things actually work. I never had the problems others did when signing up for EDD in the first place. I filed, got my award, and subsequently received my payments on time with little fanfare. Those supplemental payments were incredibly helpful and we survived the year. 

I did experience some small complications with EDD when benefits ran out in December and only automatically restarted for some again in January, and when I called in at the time, I had to wait on hold et cetera, et cetera. But when I finally did get through, the person was helpful and flagged another issue, which she wasn't authorized to help on, from the past summer that she recommended I call back in about. I figured I'd get around to it eventually. 

Fast forward to today, and I decided to call around 4pm because if I'm gonna be off the teat I wanted to see if I could get those back weeks that were missed. I got through on my first try, had about a 10 minute hold, and got a super helpful woman on the line. She not only fixed the weird pending week ending 4/10 that lots of people are experiencing, but was able to push through three additional weeks that I wasn't paid last summer. I can't say if it's that more people have been hired and trained, that fewer people are calling (especially right before the weekend) or if it was just dumb luck, but I applaud EDD, at least in my case, for handling my issues. Hopefully I can certify those past weeks a final time and be done with EDD for a very long time. 

Today was a big news day, but the biggest news of the day is that Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years. There was a lot of other stuff, too, but per usual, links are below and I'll just let those speak for themselves. 

I was mostly home today, watching briefings and news, making my EDD call, and impulse-buying a new couch online. We did go to Vons, which I was shocked they have no customer mask policy when everyone is in their with the nose-picking finger-sucking dirty-ass kids who are too young to be vaccinated and not wearing masks, so maybe I'll get back to exclusively late night shopping trips. We also went to the San Diego Zoo, but were really only there a little over an hour...enough time to see just a handful of animals, ride the Skyfari two times, and watch the Jambo parade, which you know I love so much. We'll definitely be back sooner than later.

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Delta Will Find The Unvaccinated | Biden Announces Infra Agreement | Gloria Announces SD Infra Plan | Congress To Probe Insurrection |

Meet Jacaranda & Magnolia, 12 Weeks Old (Taken 6.24.21) 

It was such a nice day out today, but Darren and I had agreed that we'd just stay home today instead of running off on my daily mandatory excursion. Instead, he lit up the BBQ and we had a late afternoon feast entirely of his creation and it was amazing. We've also been introducing the kittens to the rest of the animals so we have to be around with the spray bottle when Ficus gets a little too scary to Magnolia and Jacaranda. Honestly, though, it seems like Strawberry is going to be our biggest hurdle...so far she is not happy to have the space invaders around. 

I feel like I got all the ranting out of my system last night. It was a pretty straightforward news day. Biden announced that a bipartisan infrastructure deal has been struck, but I'll believe it when it is signed. General media seems to be catching up to the epidemiologists and their concern about the Delta variant and everyone is still trying to push for vaccines. I continue to text my sister everyday; I don't know why she is lagging on getting my niece vaccinated. Oh, and I didn't link it, but holy shit that building collapse in Florida is crazy! Nobody really sees that as a possibility, but if you think about the rust we get on our cars from being in a coastal adjacent city, even if we live miles from the beach, just think about what all that moisture and salt would do to a building over 40 years. Plus, think about all the mob activity and corruption that was rampant among developers in the 80s, not to mention inspectors who could be bribed. I know it's premature to speculate what happened, but I'm a blogger so I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised...

I hope everyone has a really nice weekend. I don't really have any plans at the moment but that mini-festival lineup in Barrio Logan on Saturday looks pretty sick if you're itching to see live music. I'm just not at the dropping-$120-on-tickets stage of my pandemic, even if I'm finally gainfully employed again. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Deaths Almost "Entirely Preventable" | Delta Variant May Spread With "Fleeting" Contact | Austin Challenges Extremism | (Pala) Mesa Fire | Tortilla Guy Is An Asshole |

  

I'm Obsessed With The Two-Toed Sloths at Sea World (Taken (6.24.21)

Darren is getting perturbed with me for posting while drinking in the speakeasy, so I'm gonna just post this as is. I get super annoyed at Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding because he loves to self-reference, pull a lot of I-told-you-sos, and then creates threads that reference numerous other threads that he posted so it's easy to get lost in all of it, but this thread is particularly interesting because it is suggesting that the Delta variant can be contracted from "fleeting" contact, and even outdoors. Hold on to your masks, maybe bring back the goggles. I know Australia doesn't have the vaccination rate we do, but we live in a tourism town, so you never know who or what you're interacting with, even fleetingly. My rant on Tortilla guy is below, too. I've gotta go or this guy might fire me from being his drinking partner. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Pandemic Dropped US Life Expectancy | Delta Delta Delta | 30th Street Bike Lanes Are Finally Happening!! |Sec Austin Seeks To Eliminate Sexual Assault From Military | Tomorrow: Strawberry Supermoon | Woman With Pet Chimp Has Him Killed For Being A Chimp |

  

Two-Toed Sloth at Sea World (Taken 6.23.21)

Today was kind of a crazy news day. I feel like I've been reading email all day and yet haven't even made a dent in my inbox, so I decided to break it down into two posts so I can maybe take my self-imposed pressure off of myself. I'll also post about tortilla guy separately because I have a lot to say about it. 

Besides my inbox refilling with 5 emails for every one I read, it was a good day. Darren got Nova from her music ensemble class - which she's totally into, despite first day jitters - brought her home, made us late lunch/early dinner before we decided to go back to Sea World for a couple hours. They hadn't seen the Orca Encounter and I wanted to get outta the house. We didn't stay long because Nova wanted to get to Derby United for the freeskate sess on Wednesdays at 8. 

Now I'm here again trying to get through my inbox and I feel like this sloth...I just wanna lay down and move slowly and mind my business. Another post will come as I work through my stuff. 

Until then, stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Birthday Superspreaders | Delta May Dominate In Weeks | Coronado Coach Fired; CIF Should Come For The Title | Shocking To No One: McConnell Is Anti-American |

  

Orca at Sea World (Taken 6.22.21)

It's three in the morning and I'm finally wrapping up my night and I just had to pull Tikka in from her catio because it was raining! Hallelujah! It only lasted for a few minutes, but it was a beautiful and welcome sight. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I guess I'm officially off EDD as Casbah finally got their SVOG grant so I guess my pandemic sabbatical is over. I mean, technically I was always WFH anyway, but I may have to step up with more regular, normal, human-adult hours and surrender at least some of my zombie vampire nights.  

This post is kind of a combo of yesterday's news and today's. No surprise that fuckface McConnell blocked discussion on SB1, the Coronado basketball coach was fired last night, which is hopefully a first step and not the only consequence, and I included some links about some small business funds available through San Diego County, new music from Joshua James in support of suicide prevention, and a funny post about the most misspelled words in each state. No surprise "corn teen" was the top misspelling across the country. And we wonder why vaccination rates remain so low in certain parts. And then of course the good news from Monday that an appeals court put that disgusting decision by an activist judge-- that would've overturned the assault weapons ban in California-- on hold. That fight is long from over, but at least the appeal is being considered for real.

In COVID news, you could say the delta variant is going viral (har.har.) as the news channels have really stepped up their pandemic panic porn, a new study used interesting methodology to show a correlation between birthdays and spread of COVID, and I decided to play with some County data on our vaccination numbers which you can see below.   

The news was teasing upcoming changes at Sea World, but after digging, I just think they're going to roll out the calendar for the remaining Electric Ocean experiences that don't kick off until July like Electric Floating Acts, the High Voltage Brass Band, and the always-anticipated iteration of Cirque, which this year is called Cirque Neon World. Hopefully for Nova they'll have news on Tidal Twister, too, which I think has been shut down for over 2 years after people had to be rescued by SDFD in 2019. I gotta say, it was really nice to spend my afternoon there. I just watched the orcas in their pools for like an hour, saw a couple shows, watched the dolphins, and watched one of the sloths (very slowly) eating her dinner. I just kinda go into a trance and ignore the crowds around me and it was kind of awesome. I'll definitely be back soon, keeping my mask handy when gobs of people are drawn to me like a magnet. And I think we might get back into testing since we're all back in the world among unvaxxed a whole lot more than before. 

Stay safe out there. 

CoViD-19: Hygiene Theater | San Diego R-eff at 0.99 While Approaching 65% of 12+ Fully Vaccinated |

Casbah: Home Sweet Home (Taken 5.8.21)

Let's talk about hygiene theatre, shall we? In the early days of the pandemic we kinda did some recommended things and flat-out skipped others. I've always run hot, but it was also an excuse to be psychotic about windows open, fans on, ventilating spaces as best as possible or running the air so there's some chance of filtration. 

When packages would come or we'd shop, sometimes we'd leave them in the studio for 2-3 days when we could, but we never got down with wiping groceries. We were always pump soap people but became bar soap people for all the hand-washing we were doing. I've always carried some variation of baby-wipes or sanitizer, so there was nothing really new there except having to buy more when it was hard to find, but there was definitely some stockpiling of masks- disposable ones and we even had a separate mini-laundry basket for putting our cotton reusable ones each day after we used them.   

But there were some things...still are some things that are a bit ridiculous. When I saw restaurants spending hundreds or thousands on plexi partitions when the science was already suggesting airborne transmission, it was definitely facepalm for me, even if it was being suggested or required by different entities. We just continued to avoid indoor spaces as best we could. When restaurants built elaborate tents that were enclosed on all sides, well, I think they completely missed the point. 

But now Nova is in a music ensemble class for three weeks through the Level Up program. Everyone in the program is 14-18, so theoretically they could've just mandated all of them get vaccinated, but I understand it is a little premature for that. SDUSD hopefully spent all that CARES money on HEPA or MERV 13 air systems but it looks like they also got suckered into buying partitions. They could've bought some serious shade structures and durable seating for classes to be outside. Nah. Our poor kid now has three weeks of playing flute WITH A MASK ON. It would be maddening if it wasn't so hilarious and pointless and if Nova hadn't just spent the last 15 months we me being a COVID-crazy person. She'll get through it and I'll get over it but it still totally made me laugh. 

Today I had a busy day. I am officially rehired at the Casbah. I'm trying to learn a brand new ticketing system. I had lunch at Bali Hai...my first time eating out besides the Casbah for taco nights. I visited Miggs at Fathom Bistro which just reopened this week. And then I went to Sea World alone since I was in the area and because Darren and Nova went to the waterslides at Aquatica after her ensemble class. I'll definitely get another post in tonight when I catch up with all the news. 

Stay safe out there.